THE

PUBLISHER

TO THE

READER.

I

Have heard it often observed, that it would be a Work, worth any ingenious Man's pains, and very acceptable to the World, to take a View of the whole Controverfie betwixt the Writers of the Church of Rome and us fince his Majefties coming to the Crown; and to compare it with the Management of this fame Controverfie at the beginning of the Reformation, and through the late Reigns, I am affured it would make fuch a Difcovery of the prefent Controvertifts of that Church, as would make all them to blush that have any Modefty, and the World to blush for them that have

none.

It is very well known, that when the Reformation began, Learning was at a very Low Ebb, and they of the Church of Rome, who were commanded to defend it against the Reformers, had a very hard Task of it, fince they were engaged in matters wholly new to them; and, which was worse, in the Defence of a Cause which did want Arguments ten thousand times better than any could be gotten for it. However, to their Credit be it spoken, they undertook the matter fairly, and were so just to their Adverfaries, as well

as

as to their own Cause, as to answer Book wi to drop their Weapon, and run away af Charge.

k, and not he first little

But we have a quite contrary fort of Mon to deal with now-a-days; they write as if the Controverfie had but just begun, and as if they had not read fo much as their own old Authors; but after one little Effort, fall to Sheet and Half-fheet Replies, as if they that furnished them with the firft Book, could not have furnished them also with a Fair Reply. It is a very broad Sign that Some Men came very unprepared to this Controverfie, and that it was a perfect Surprize to them, who dreamt furely of nothing less than of fending and proving, they have been fo untoward at it. And this is that which hath made this present Controverfie fo very mischievous unto them; for fome of their own Laity could not but own that the answering of large Books by Sheet, or a Half-feet, did not appear fair, but that it was very like it, if not a direct betraying of their Caufe: And this was too apt to raife Sufpicions, either that their Priests could not defend their Caufe, or that their Cause was fuch as was not to be defended It were eafie to give the Reader many Instances of this Kind: When the Six Conferences concerning the Eucharift were published, a Book written with fo much strength of Reafon and Solidity, and which bore So very hard upon their great Doctrine of Tranfubftantiation, as to undertake to demonstrate that it did overthrow the Proofs of Chriftian Religion ; we might have expected that the Romish Priests would have been justly alarm'd at fuch a Book of fo threatning a Nature to their Darling Tranfubftantiation, and would have employed the best Heads among them to answer fo dangerous a Book; but as if they had all been asleep, the World is prefented with a drowfie Half-feet at last against a Book of about eighteen Sheets ; as if Tawning were to pass for Answering.

When

When that excellent Book, The Second Defence of the Expofition against the Bishop of Meaux and his Vindicator was Printed, and did fo largely and fo effectually prove all the former Charges against the wretched prevarications of that Bishop, and his Vindicator; Was it not a very pleasant thing to fee a Sheet and a half Printed against it, with the pompous Title, of a full Answer to it? But I cannot be angry at the Man, for all the World is Satisfied that he is fick of that Controverfie; and that a Sheet and a half was enough in Confcience for a man in his Condition. He did indeed about the fame time threaten the learned Author of the Difcourfe against Extreme Unction, with a Sheet against his Book; wherein he would take it to pieces: But I fuppofe he was half afleep when he made that promife, and quite forgot it upon his first fleep. It is ten to one, but fome of their party will roufe up this doughty Champion, and tell him, that now he may venture to write his Sheet against that Book, fince there is no fear of an Answer from the Author of that Difcourfe, who is now in his Grave: but if I might be of Councel to him, I would advise him to think twice before he ventures on his Sheet-Answer; for though the Incomparable and never-to-be-forgotten Dr. Clagett, the Author of that Book be (to our unspeakable lofs) in his Grave, yet neither his Book, nor his Memory, nor his Friends are buried with him ; and though that Book is more. than able to defend it felf against so very weak an Adverfary, yet were it not, I am told, that let our Adverfaries be-. gin as foon as they please, either against that or any other of bis many excellent Difcourfes against Popery; they will find, that there are too many Friends to the Memory and Reputation of that Pious and Learned Champion of the Church of England, to fuffer any thing against Him to lye. unanswered: And I cannot fancy but Some People are my humble Servants for this kind hint, who do not, love to burn, their Fingers.

B

I.

I will but mention one other inftance of our Adverfaries extravagant behaviour in this kind, against that Book, the Defence of which I am intrusted to publish, the celebrated PRESERVATIVE AGAINST POPERY: how very acceptable to the World this excellent Tract was, the univerfal entertainment it met with, and the many thousands of it So greedily bought up, do fufficiently fhew how much the Book did in it felf deferve all that kindness it found, every Reader will foon discover, that will but give himself the trouble to read any one page of it. I must confefs, I have been mightily pleafed, that our Adverfaries themselves can find how very good a Book it is. I hear some of them rail unmeasurably at it, and are at a lofs fometimes how to vent themselves more paffionately against it: and this I take for as infallible a fign, that this Book is a very good one, as I would the least commendation of theirs, for its being a very

dull one.

This Book then, which the Commendations of all our own Church, and the bitter Revilings of some of our Adversaries have made fo confpicuous, and attefted its great worth, did deferve a very skilful Manager (if they must be answering it) to pull down all the worthy Doctor had with so much Skill and Accuracy been building against them; did call for one who could answer with the fame Solidity, Clearness and Wit that the Doctors Book had been written with. But as if this Book had been one of the dulleft pieces that was published on our part, a Jefuit, (that is famous for fomething) is employ'd to answer it; and as if there had been no reason, nor fenfe, nor any thing for an Adversary to faften upon in the PRESERVATIVE, the Jefuit gives us an Anfwer of a Sheet, as thinking that enough, or too much to employ against a Book that had nothing in it.

But this Jefuit is one of the most unlucky men that ever ventur'd upon Controverfie; for as all the world did grant

that

that this was a ridiculous Answer to fo Great a Book, so it raised the Indignation of moft Men against it, to see a Jefuit trifling in a matter of fo great concern, and nibling at a Book, the leaft Paragraph of which he is utterly unable to Answer. This is that, I believe, which provoked the honeft Footman to Write this Reply to the Jefuites Answer to the Doctors PRESERVATIVE; for he found the Jefuit had Written in such a strain of Senfe and Reafon together, as if he had intended to enter the lifts with Some fuch Perfon as himself, and not with the Excellent Master of the Temple: and I do not wonder that the honeft Footman could not refift the Temptation of catching the Jefuit at such an advantage, and of taking this so favourable an Opportunity of having a certain Victory over him; this would have tempted a more Learned Man, but I am well enough pleased that the honeft young Footman has the glory of it.

One would have expected that when the Jefuit undertook to Answer fo large a Book as the Prefervative in fo little room, he would have fallen immediately upon the Book he was Answering: but be it seems thought he had room to call others to account too in that small compass; and does very feverely fall upon all our Reformers in general, as well as fome Authors alive in particular.

The Honeft Footman does confine himself in his Reply to the Defence of the PRESERVATIVE it self, and lets the Jefuites Preface alone, as nothing to the purpose indeed there: but I am willing to have a word or two with him about it, and fee how the Reformers and thofe Men are concerned here in an Answer to Dr. SHERLOCKS PRESERVATIVE.

The Jefuit at first dash accuses our Reformers of falling prefently [when they fet up for oppofers of Popery ] to forgeries, cliping of Texts, Fathers and Councils:

B 2

but